Liquid fuel burner



j.. H, i939. H. cowAN 2;,143843 LIQUID FUEL BURNER v Filed oct. 24, 1936 ,2 Sheets-sheep l INVENTOR.

A ATTORNEY.

Jam 17,. 1939. H. coWAN 2,143,843

LIQUID FUEL BURNER Filed Oct. 24, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. /-/a r1" y C0 Wa I7 ETR. W

ATTORNEY.

Patented Jan. 17, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFiCE LIQUID FUEL BURNER Application October 24, 1936, Serial'No. 107,364

6 Claims.

My present invention relates to the construction and operation of liquid fuel burners, and more particularly to liquid fuel burners having two separate streams of fluid under pressure passing therethrough.

The main object of my invention is to provide an improved liquid fuel burner construction of the type described having special provisions for permitting relative movement of the passageforming parts while preventing leakage between the passages. A further object is to provide improved coupling provisions of the quickly detachable type for connecting the burner uid passages to corresponding sources of iluid supply. Another object is to provide a duid atomizing liquid fuel burner having simple and effective means for cleaning the liquid fuel passage.

The various features of novelty which characterize my invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this specification. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and specific objects attained by its use, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which I have illustrated and described preferred embodiments of my invention.

Of the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary elevation mainly in section of a liquid fuel burner constructed in `accordance with my invention;

Fig. 2 is a bottom view of a portion of the couhline;

Fig. 3 is a View taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1 showing the outer end of the coupling with the gasket in position;

Fig. 3A is a vertical section through the gasket;

Fig. 4 is a vertical section taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is an end View of the burner body; and

Fig. 6 is a sectional elevation of a modi-fied body construction.

My invention is especially adapted for use in liquid fuel burners of the fluid atomizing type in which jets of steam or'air at a higher temperature and/or pressure than the liquid fuel are caused to impinge upon the liquid fuel immediately prior to its entry into the furnace for the purpose of atomizing the same and promoting combustion thereof. A liquid fuel burner of this type is shown and comprises an elongated inner barrel or pipe I@ which serves as the fuel oil passage and an outer surrounding barrel or pipe I`I with the annular space therebetween serving as a steam passage. The inner barrel 'I0 is threaded at its inner or discharge end into a sprayer head I2, as indicated at I3. The sprayer head abuts the discharge end 0f the outer barrel I I and the inner and outer barrels are xed in relative position at their discharge ends by an end cap I4 tting over the sprayer head and threaded on the outer barrel. A series of passages is provided in the sprayer head and in an associated sprayer plate I5 for the steam and oil arranged as shown in U. S. Patent 1,980,132 for effecting impingement of the steam on the oil issuing from the oil passages and providing a discharge of atomized oil and steam through the spray nozzle I6. The outer barrel is surrounded by a tubular distance piece I'I suitably supported with respect to the furnace opening and threaded at its inner end to support an annular impeller plate (not shown).

In liquid fuel burners of this type both the oil and steam are under pressure with the steam at a higher pressure and temperature than the oil. The inner barrel is thus contacted at its inner and outer sides by fluids of different temperature, while the outer barrel is contacted by the higher temperature fluid only. The barrels IG and II when the burner is in operation thus normally have different ldegrees of longitudinal expansion. For the proper functioning of such burners, it is important that the oil and steam shall not mix until each issues from the separate exit orifices provided in the sprayer head, and to this end it is necessary to prevent leakage of steam into the oil passage, or of oil into the steam passage, leading to the sprayer head. In accordance with my invention the barrels are relatively xed in position or rigidly connected at their discharge ends by the construction heretofore described and are substantially free to expand and contract relative to one another at their outer ends without leakage from one passage to the other.

The liquid fuel burner is supported inside of the distance piece by a body member 2l] at the outer end having a steam passage 2l and oil passage 22 separated by a central partition 23. The barrel members fit into a tubular extension 24 of the body member with the inner barrel I@ extending beyond the outer barrel and firmly fixed in position at its outer end in an opening formed in the upper part of the partition 23, as for example, by a fluid tight threaded engagement in the partition as indicated at 26. Oil from the body passage 22 is thus supplied to the inner barrel I. Steam 'from the passage 2! passes around the outer end portion of the barrel EE] before entering the outer barrel Il. The barrel IIl is thus rigidly connected to associated parts at its opposite ends and forms a leak-proof wall between the two iluid passages. Any movement of the outer barrel I I relative thereto is provided for by forming an expansion or slip joint between the outer end of the barrel I I and the body extension 24. As shown, the outer end of the barrel II has a sliding fit in the body extension 24. Steam packing 21, a follower ring 28, and a gland 29 threaded into the body extension to hold the ring and packing in position, collectively close the joint between the outer barrel and the body. By l having the outer end of the inner barrel with a Xed uid-tight connection with the body and the described joint between the outer barrel and the body, any steam leakage through the joint will be to atmosphere, and not into the oil passage with its attendant disadvantages. Any such leakage will be quickly observed by the operator with the described position of the joint. No leakage of fluid from one passage to the other is possible with the inner barrel which separates the passage free of leak joints, and freed by the outer barrel expansion joint of expansion stresses.

The fuel burner passages are connected to suitable sources of supp-ly and the parts held in their assembled positions by means of a coupling 30 of the quickly detachable type. The coupling has a short tubular section 30a threaded on the outer end of the distance piece and held in position by a set screw 3l which its into a longitudinal slot 32 formed in the distance piece. The body of the coupling contains a pair o-f superposed steam and oil passages 33 and 34 respectively which communicate with suitable sources of supply through laterally extending p-ipe connections 35 and 35 respectively at opposite sides of the coupling, as shown in Figs. 1 and 4.

A fluid-tight connection is formed between the coupling passages 33 and 34 and the lower ends of the body passages 2l and 22 respectively. As shown, the end of the body and the end of the coupling which are to be connected are made circular. The coupling end has a peripheral circular lip 42 which fits into a circular groove 4I in the end of the body to center one with respect tothe other, and to provide a circumferential groove to hold a gasket 43 shown in Fig. 3A, between the two parts. This gasket which is preferably of soft copper, is a fiat disc 44 with two openings in axial alignment with the passages 33 and 34. Ring members 3l of U-shaped crosssection are formed in each disc opening to provide raised sealing surfaces around the edges of each disc opening which contact with the faces of the coupling and the body surrounding the oil and steam passages therein. A dowel pin 38 on the coupling lits through an opening 39 in the gasket into a corresponding recess in the body to hold the passages and gasket openings in registeiing relationship.

To insure a fluid-tight contact between the body and coupling between which the gasket is located, a yoke member 50 is pivotally mounted on the coupling adjacent the portion thereof contacting with the body member. rIhe legs of the yoke member extend around the lower end of the body member and unite to form an inter-- nally threaded hub 5I. A T-handle set screw e2 is threaded through the hub 5I and provided with a conical end portion 53 adapted to t into a correspondingly shaped recess; 54 formed in the body at the same level as the pivot axis of the yoke. As shown, a horizontal plane through the screw axis, the yoke pivots and the middle of the yoke legs will pass throughthe center of the gasket and there will be one iiuid passage on each side of that plane sealed by the raised sealing surfaces of the gasket. When the screw is tightened a force is developed along this plane, which forces the ends of the coupling and body toward each other, and compresses the gasket ring about the two passages equally, without any tendency to force the axes of the barrels ID and II away from the axis of the distance piece II. This locks the burner in position and .at the same time prevents any leakage from one passage to the other at the joint between the coupling and the body.

With this arrangement of the parts the set screw 52 can be loosened sufciently to allow the yoke to swing downwardly to a vertical position. The burne-r may then be readily removed and disassembled for inspection, cleaning or repair purposes, or for replacement by withdrawing the body, barrels, and associated parts outwardly through the distance piece. For replacing the burner the operations are reversed.

In Fig. 6 an additional element is illustrated by means of which the oil passage can be cleaned without removal or disassembling of the burner. In this arrangement a by-pass passage 60 controlled by a valve 6I is formed in the body partition 23 between the steam passage 2l and the oil passage 22. In cleaning the oil passage, the supply of oil is cut off and the valve 6I opened to allow steam from the passage 2l to flow through the by-pass passage 59 into the inner barrel Ill. When this is done they temperature of the parts normally contacted by oil is changed and expansion is different but by my construction with the expansion joint no harm results after normal operation is resumed.

While in accordance with the provisions of the statutes I have illustrated and described herein the best forms of my invention now known to me, those skilled in the art will understand that changes may be made in they form of the apparatus disclosed without departing from the spirit of the invention covered by my claims, and that certain features of my invention may sometimes be used to advantage without a corresponding use of other features. In the claims, the word steam is intended to generically cover any suitable atomizing fluid.

I claim:

1. A liquid fuel burner comprising a body member having separate iiuid passages therein,

a coupling member having separate fluid passages therein adapted to register with the adjacent end of said body passages, said coupling and body having their adjacent ends provided with cooperating peripheral lip and groove portions and forming a circular seat, a gasket in said seat having openings therein arranged to register with said coupling and bodyl passages, and yoke means arranged to detachably hold said coupling, gasket, and body in fluid-tight engagement.

2. A liquid fuel burner comprising a body member having separate fluid passages therein, a coupling member having separate fluid passages therein adapted to register with the adjacent end of said body passages, said'coupling and body having their adjacent ends provided with cooperating peripheral lip and groove portions arranged to form -a circular seat, a metallic gasket in said seat having openings therein arranged to register with said coupling and body passages, said gasket having raised sealing surfaces about said openings, and yoke means arranged to detachably hold said coupling, gasket, and body in duid-tight engagement.

3. A liquid fuel burner comprising a body member having separate iiuid passages therein, a coupling member having separate fluid passages therein adapted to register with the adjacent end of said body passages, said coupling and body having their adjacent ends provided with cooperating peripheral lip and groove portions and forming a circular seat, a gasket in said seat having openings therein arranged to register with said coupling and body passages, a dowel member arranged lto align said coupling, gasket, and body with their passages in register, and yoke means arranged to detachably hold said coupling, gasket, and body in fluidtight engagement.

4. A steam atomizing liquid fuel burner comprising a body member having separate vertically spaced liquid fuel and steam passages therein, a coupling member having separate liquid fuel and steam passages therein adapted to register with the adjacent end of the corresponding body passages, said coupling and body having their adjacent ends provided with cooperating peripheral lip and groove portions and forming a circular seat, a metallic gasket in said seat having openings therein arranged to register with said coupling and body passages, said gasket having raised sealing surfaces about said openings, a dowel member arranged to align said coupling, gasket, and body with their passages in register, and yoke means arranged to detachably hold said coupling, gasket, and body in huid-tight engagement.

5. A liquid fuel burner comprising an elbowshaped body member having separate vertically spaced uid passages therein, a coupling member having separate vertically spaced uid passages therein adapted to register with the adjacent end of the corresponding body passages, said coupling and body having their adjacent ends provided with cooperating peripheral lip and groove portions and forming a circular seat, a gasket in said seat having openings therein arranged to register with said coupling and body passages, a yoke member pivotally mounted on said coupling and extending around said body, and a screw on said yoke member adapted to seat in said body, said yoke member pivot axis and said screw axis being in a horizontal plane passing through the center el? said gasket when the parts are in fluid-tight engagement.

6. A liquid fuel burner comprising a body member having separate vertically spaced iluid passages therein, a coupling member having separate vertically spaced fluid passages therein adapted to register with the adjacent end of the corresponding body passages, said coupling and body having their adjacent ends provided with cooperatintr peripheral lip and groove portions and forming a circular seat, a gasket in said seat having openings therein arranged to register with said coupling and body passages, said gasket having raised sealing surfaces about said openings, a dowel member arranged to align said coupling, gasket, and body with their passages in register, a yoke member pivotally mounted on said coupling and extending around said body, and a screw on said yoke member adapted to seat in said body, said yoke member pivot axis and said screw axis being in a horizontal plane passing through the center of said gasket when the parts are in fluid-tight engagement.

HARRY COWAN. 

